Shed of the Year 2014

It's that time of the year again and the finalists for 'Shed of the Year' sponsered by Cuprinol have been chosen. The finalist will be chosen on Channel 4 on Thursday 24th July at 8.00 pm 'Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year'. It will feature a load of sheddies with visits to their sheds from various judges George Clark, Max McMurdo, Laura Clark and William Hardie. This years entry includes a giant tea pot. Happy viewing - you never know it might prompt you to become a sheddie and enter your own shed space :)

The Gardening Club - July Gardening Tips

General Task & Garden Maintenance

Water thoroughly once or twice a week rather than little and often - this encourages plants to put down roots in search of water rather than coming up to the surface. Remember, though, that containers and hanging baskets need watering every day and sometimes even twice a day if it is hot and windy.For recently planted large shrubs or trees, leave a hose trickling around the base for an hour. The same goes for established plants in very dry periods - pay particular attention to camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas which will abort next season’s flowers if they get too dry. Mulch around the roots when moist to help avoid this. Recently planted hedges are best watered with a trickle hose (a length of old hose punctured with little holes) left running for an hour or so.Ensure trees or shrubs planted in the last couple of years on lawns or in areas of rough grass have a circle of clear earth around them - this must be kept clear or grass will prevent essential moisture getting through. Mulching with bark or compost will help.Water is a precious commodity - instigate good practices such as using kitchen and bath water (as long as it is neither too dirty, greasy nor full of detergent) for watering, collect rainwater in butts (available from the centre) and investigate ways to recycle water for your irrigation. Avoid using tap water for lime-hating plants such as camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas - they will not thank you for it!The key to successful planting, whether it be a shrub, tree, perennial or bedding plant is to water in well. Soak the rootball in a bucket until no air bubbles come to the surface, dig the planting hole, fill with water and allow to drain away. Place the plant in the hole, fill with soil, firm gently and water well with a watering can - this will give the plant a huge advantage over one planted with a dry rootball in a dry hole and watered only on the surface.Hoe beds and borders to get rid of annual weeds, like bitter cress and chickweed. If it’s dry, attack perennial weeds like ground elder and the like with systemic weed killer painted onto the leaves and trail tips of bindweed into jam jars full of the same. Remember systemic weed killers are indiscriminate and will kill anything they contact. If you don’t have time to do this, at least cut the culprits down to prevent them from setting seed.Keep your pond topped up with fresh water - a build up of algae in warm weather can be toxic, if not fatal, for animals.PestsPests love warm weather, so be on your guard! Caterpillar and aphid infestations can be dealt with by hand if caught early enough, but should the situation career out of control you will have to resort to insecticides or grin and bear it! Greenfly and blackfly especially love the heat and don’t forget aphids and other sap-sucking insects can transmit viruses so don’t give in to the sympathy vote. Try to attract beneficial insects by growing a wide variety of plants - ladybirds and their larvae are consummate aphid predators, as are lacewings and even wasps.

BBC Gardening Calendar

Check out this neat little tool - for anyone who wants to keep a track of their day to day gardening chores. Use this BBC Gardening Calendar to help keep a track of anything from protecting your pots from the frost in January to controlling weed growth in July. If you find it useful, perhaps share with your friends :) Just click on the image and it will link to the BBC website.

Outdoor Living

Creative Minds

These works of art have been created for schools in Lancashire. If you know of any school that may wish to feature one of these in their natural garden areas, please feel free to forward. The children benefit so much from studying in the outdoors and love their fairytale features.

The word 'Garden'

The word 'garden' comes from the Old English 'geard', meaning a fence or enclosure, and from 'garth' meaning a yard or a piece of enclosed ground. The Oxford Dictionaryof English Etymology gives the meaning of garden as 'enclosed cultivated ground' andThe Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as 'an enclosed piece of ground devoted to thecultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables'. Enclosure is essential to gardening, andthis raises fundamental questions, such as who is doing the enclosing, who owns theland,and who is being kept out.

With the longest day already gone and the nights to draw steadily in. It's a good time to start thinking about purchasing your ﻿SuperFire Kiln Dried Hardwood Logs﻿ and prepare yourselves early for those long winter nights. Be prepared and contact soon to order your supplies.

Contact Danny or Jim who will be more than happy to discuss your order requirements. 01254 247075

SUBSCRIBE HERE

Author

This website and blog has been produced to showcase the fantastic work this team undertakes every week. You only have to scroll through the pages to see the quality of work undertaken. It is a pleasure to highlight this and hopefully inspire others to seek new ideas for further projects.

Trust, quality and competitive pricing are what the team pride themselves on and I think they should be really proud of what they have achieved so far. Lindsay R